British Prime Minister Andy Burnham held his first meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky at Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday, pledging continued military support and handing Kyiv access to new British electronic warfare technology as the Ukrainian leader prepares for high-level talks in Washington.
Zelensky was the first foreign leader Burnham welcomed in person since taking office on July 20 – a choice the new prime minister presented as a deliberate signal that Britain’s support for Ukraine would continue despite the change in leadership.
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“You are the first leader I have welcomed in person since taking office, and that is no accident,” Burnham told Zelensky.
“We are with Ukraine 100 percent. I am personally with you 100 percent,” he added, pledging to honor Britain’s existing commitments to Kyiv.
The leaders held talks aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, discussing joint drone projects, defense production and Ukraine’s urgent need for additional ballistic missile interceptors as Russia continues attacks against cities and critical infrastructure.
Zelensky described the visit as an important signal of support and said relations between Ukraine and Britain were “stronger than ever.”
Britain Gives Ukraine Tech to Build Drone Jammers
One of the most concrete outcomes of the meeting was Britain’s decision to share the intellectual property behind its new “Stone Cloak” electronic warfare system, allowing Ukraine to manufacture the technology itself at scale.
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Stone Cloak consists of military-grade electronic jammers roughly the size of a tablet computer. When fitted to drones, the devices interfere with Russian air-defense systems’ ability to track and target the aircraft during flight.
Thousands of Stone Cloak jammers have already been supplied to Ukrainian forces by the British Ministry of Defense and have been used under battlefield conditions. The intellectual-property transfer means Ukraine will no longer be dependent solely on British deliveries and can expand production through its own defense industry.
“Stone Cloak is the best of homegrown British innovation and proven on the frontline, and it will be vital to protecting our security in both our countries,” Burnham said.
The technology has been developed as part of increasingly close defense cooperation under the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership. Britain also plans to incorporate Stone Cloak technology into its own next generation of long-range weapons, including Project Brakestop, a program to develop a lower-cost cruise missile.
For Ukraine, the agreement reflects a broader shift in cooperation with Western partners – from receiving finished weapons toward acquiring the technology, manufacturing rights and expertise needed to produce systems domestically.
Zelensky confirmed after the talks that the two countries had discussed expanding joint defense production, particularly in drones and other military technologies. Burnham also said the talks covered Ukraine’s need for more interceptors capable of destroying Russian ballistic missiles.
The two leaders also met more than 200 Ukrainian military personnel and sailors who have spent three weeks in Britain taking part in Exercise Sea Breeze, focused on maritime security and preparations for future mine-clearing operations in the Black Sea.
Five Ukrainian mine-countermeasure vessels – Melitopol, Mariupol, Henichesk, Cherkasy and Chernihiv – are currently based at Portsmouth and are expected to remain there until the end of the war before potentially taking part in clearing mines from Ukrainian waters.
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The Portsmouth meeting came immediately before another important diplomatic stop for Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president is expected in Washington on Tuesday, where he is due to meet US President Donald Trump as Kyiv seeks further American backing for its air defenses and renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war.
The visit will extend beyond the White House.
All 100 members of the US Senate have been invited to meet Zelensky on Tuesday evening while he is in Washington.
The Senate is expected to begin voting as early as Tuesday on Russia sanctions legislation championed by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The legislation seeks to reduce revenues Moscow receives from energy exports and had remained stalled in Congress for about a year.
Lawmakers have since reduced the tariff provision in the legislation from the previously proposed 500 percent to 100 percent as part of efforts to secure wider congressional support.
Zelensky is also traveling to Washington to attend Graham’s funeral. The Republican senator had been among Ukraine’s most prominent advocates in Congress and had pushed repeatedly for stronger economic pressure on Russia.
Fifth UK Prime Minister, Same Ukraine Commitment
Burnham is the fifth British prime minister to work with Zelensky since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 – following Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.
His meeting with Zelensky came only a week after Burnham entered Number 10 and less than two weeks after Starmer visited Kyiv during his final days as prime minister.
That rapid transition placed particular significance on Burnham’s choice of first foreign visitor.
By receiving Zelensky before any other international leader and immediately announcing another defense technology agreement, the new government sought to demonstrate that Britain’s Ukraine policy would survive the political change in Downing Street.
“Britain stands with Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder, and our support remains unwavering,” Burnham said.
“Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve, and we will not back down until we achieve long-lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”
Britain says its total support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion has reached £25 billion, including £16 billion in military assistance and £5.6 billion in non-military aid. London has also committed to providing £3 billion annually in support for as long as necessary.
From Johnson through Truss, Sunak and Starmer to Burnham, Britain has remained among Kyiv’s most consistent military partners, while the relationship has gradually expanded from weapons deliveries and military training into joint development, manufacturing and technology transfers.
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